STEPHEN YERKEY "Steve Yerkey is complicated enough to make sense in San Francisco but country enough to follow Jimmie Dale Gilmore on stage at Austin open mike nights." -SF WEEKLY
October 4th, 1994 marks the release of Stephen Yerkey's first full-length release since the breakup of his former band- Nonfiction (Demon Records). Confidence Man is sure to please Yerkey's fans and garner him the critical praise his live performances already recieve.
Once called "the Elvis Costello of country", Stephen Yerkey's musical amalgam Americana combines elements of alternative rock, country, and jazz with the quirkiness of Tom Waits and the decptive simplicity of Johnny Cash. Yerkey has successfully molded his own individual style of masterful roots rock.
Yerkey's eccentric West Virginia born baritone matches hid bold, original music like a loud suit. His songs shine in the best traditions of American music while veering widly from barfly brawler to cowboy lullaby.
Confidence Man reveals the darker recesses of Yerkey's soul as well as his tried and true country heart. A nomadic graduate of the school of hard knocks, this evocative artist surprises and amazes with his narrative - songs like "Cocksucking Blonde" and "Maker's Mark" vividly evoke the grittiness of his experiences here in San Francisco and elsewhere.
Confidence Man features Joe Gore, who also plays guitar with Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, and Jon Hassel. Other band members include Waits' alumnus David Phillips (pedal steel guitar) and Clark Suprynowicz (stand-up bass) and Scott Amendola on drums. The album was produced by Eric Drew Feldman (Frank Black, Pere Ubu, Pixies), Lee Townsend (Bill Frisell) and Matt Callahan (Looters).
"...I'm drawn to Yerkey's rich, beautiful West Virginia-born baritone; he can wrap that voice around a song like a gentle, fire-warm pair of hands or wail the blues like an onery horse-fly in an empty barnyard. Either way, his music tugs at something deep inside...Syephen Yerkey is one of the best singer/songwriters today." -Kurt Wolff, The Bay Guardian
For info. call Heyday at (415) 252-5590